


Exodus

by xXxMistressofravexXx



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Violence, Multi, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2019-03-26 10:21:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13855797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xXxMistressofravexXx/pseuds/xXxMistressofravexXx
Summary: Harley Quinn has been dating Dick Grayson for a long time.  The fact that his Nightwing duties keep him away makes her worry a lot.  One night while he's out on patrol, she gets an unexpected visitor and her world turns upside down.





	Exodus

Harley was waiting for Dick to get home from his mission. She really just wanted to apologize because she had asked him not to go, no matter how many times that he told her it wasn’t a problem and he understood her concern. She was so thankful for him. 

She thought back to a time when she had questioned herself and her loyalties. He was the only one who spoke with her, took her seriously. With his help she had gotten away from Joker and brought the hold he had on her mind. It was difficult, but with his and Gordon’s help she had began to heal, to come back from the black abyss she had been thrown into. She found meaning in her life and she was able to do something good, and maybe if she did enough it would make her soul less heavy.

She realized that it was getting very late now. He normally called her if it was going to be taking longer than usual. He knew how she got twitchy and worried if he didn’t check in. It was her biggest fear that something would take him away from her, and really…Harley didn’t know what she would do if that happened.

There was that pang in her chest again, she had felt it an hour ago as well. She didn’t know what was going on but she felt compelled to press her palm to her chest to try and dull the ache that was seated there. She frowned as she busied herself with making tea, that would certainly distract her from her insecurities.

*BANG BANG BANG*

She nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of someone knocking on the door. That was peculiar, Dick never knocked, he always just came in; excited to see her again. She swallowed down a thick feeling in her throat as she walked to do the door. She looked through the hole and she saw none other than Jason Todd. Her worry increased exponentially. 

She opened the door to look at him. 

“Harley...” Why does his voice sound rougher than normal. 

“Jason, come in please.” She said but immediately turned from him. She walked over to where the tea pot was whistling.

“Harley…” Jason tried again, but she was stuidiously ignoring him as she busied herself with fixing her tea. 

“Would you like some, I’d be happy to make you a cup.”

 

“No…I…uh…” He sighed and ran a hand down his face. He walked over to where she was. “Harleen just stop.” 

“You don’t call me that.” She swallowed hard as she looked up at him, her blue eyes wavered and she shook her head. “No, no no no no no.” She swallowed as she looked away from him, setting her mug down and walking into the other room.

“Harley stop I need to talk to you about something.” He said as he followed her.

“No you don’t.” She said as she continued walking towards the couch.

“Harley something happened tonight.” Jason was slowly approaching her, knowing that the blonde could be volatile in the best of times. She had been doing so well and he was surprised at well Dick had done with her. She had a semblance of a normal life, she sometimes joined them patrolling. She not had any relapses in a year now. So why did it have to be me? He clears his throat and begins to speak, not expecting the pillow to come flying at his face. “What the hell.”

“I don’t want to hear it! No!” She said as she covered her ears with her hands. 

“Harley…” Jason couldn’t help the soft slip of her name from his lips. He walked closer, dodging the various pillows, blankets and cushions thrown his way. He catches the knife that she throws, she didn’t have enough form to hit him right now and he discards it, finally in front of her. He kneels to take her place in front of her as he looks up at her. She’s started to cry now he notices. A sudden fierce protective surge rises up within him. In this moment he desires nothing more than to ease her worry and protect her from harm. He can very much see how Richard had fallen in love with her, and how he was the one to get her out. 

“Tell me…tell me and end this fearsome anticipation. Why is there a pain in my chest Jason? I feel like something’s missing from me that was very important.” She cried softly as she looked down at him. She was so scared.

“Harleen…I need you to listen to me very carefully.” Jason said as he made sure that she was looking at him. “Take a deep breath, and calm yourself.” He had noticed that she had stopped breathing. “Something happened tonight, Dick’s gone.” 

“You mean he’s injured and he’ll be back soon.”

“No Harls.” He shakes his head wishing that he could spare her from this torture. But Dick had made him promise to look over her and watch out for her, and if he did anything good in this life he’d live up to that promise. His request to make sure her life continues was odd, but he had the feeling that they had had a conversation that made him doubt Harley’s ability to remain in this world without him. In this dark little city of ours, you’ll be my right. He thinks to himself. “He’s dead.”

For her part she does not react at all. She simply sits there silently and apart from the constant stream of tears she moves not. It is approximately ten minutes later when her soft voice speak, something cold and hard in it.

“Who was it?” There is a barely concealed rage there that frankly frightens Jason.

“You don’t need to worry about it.” 

“Tell me who the fuck killed the love of my life.” Harley snaps and in this moment he thinks she looks much closer to her former self, a fire in her blue eyes he not seen before.

“It was him.” 

“Say it, say his fucking name.” She cried.

“The Joker. The Joker killed him.”

He expects her to start crying, to break down and just not be able to function. And he would understand that. He would be there for her for that, for anything, from now on. But Harley standing up and disappearing into her bedroom only to appear in her vigilante costume. He’s even more surprised as she starts to gear up upon opening a closet door. 

“Harley what are you doing?” He asked warily.

“I’m gonna kill him.” She said simply, like she was going for a walk.

“Harley you can’t…” Jason swallowed. “He told me to look after you. That’s exactly what I intend to do. And going off on a grief fueled mission to kill the Joker is the opposite of what he would have wanted.” He grabbed her arm and she turned to him.

“I can and I will, whether or not you come with me is a whole other matter.” She looked at him pointedly. “You won’t stop me, I’m doing this.”

“Fine.” Jason sighed as he looked at her. It was clear that she had made up her mind and he didn’t blame her. If anyone understood the need to kill the Joker, it was Jason. “He would haunt the shit out of me if I let you get killed.” He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“I’ll meet you at Ace Chemicals when you’ve got everything that you needed.” She said as she nodded, her hand gripping the bowstaff that had become her new chosen weapon. She kept her pistol in a holster at her thigh. He shook his head and looked at her sternly.

“Promise me Harley, don’t do anything until I get there.” 

“Fine. I’ll just watch them.” But he can’t help but notice how she doesn’t quite meet his eyes when she speaks.

***  
Harley was positive Jason was going to be pissed at her. But as she knew that he’d catch up as she kicked the doors in and tossed one of the henchmen inside.

“Honey I’m home!” Harley yelled as she drew her pistol.

“Harly girl!” The Joker squealed delightedly. “I know once I got rid of the protege that you would come back to me.” It was then she noticed the pistol he had just pulled out. A well placed shot had it ricocheting out of his hand. 

“You have crossed the line Joker. You’ve taken and taken and taken from me. This is the last time.” She growled as she continued to advance towards him. She spun her bow staff in her hand.

“Baby, baby, baby…” He spoke in that tone that drove her nuts, that beguiling nature that once upon a time had worked so well on her. “I MADE you.” She can hear the rage in his voice and for once it doesn’t frighten her. She quickly uses the staff to knock him off of his feet. 

“You didn’t make anything!” She yelled as she advanced. Little did she know Jason was on a scaffold watching her, he’d let her do this on her own until she needed him. But more than that, he knew that she needed to do this. “You used and abused me for your own purposes and corrupted me into something I spent years to get myself out of. You are worthless and lower than garbage to me.” She growled as she slammed the bow staff down on his leg, the sound of the bone snapping was extremely satisfying.

“Where was this Harley? I must say rage and blood lust looks delightful on you Harleen.” He giggle maniacally. 

“No!” She punched him in the face watching him real. “You don’t ever get to say my name, or his. This choice is mine and mine alone, I’ll deal with the consequences, but today Joker…” She pulls out her gun as she grinds her foot into his throat. “You’ll never hurt anyone again.” 

The gunshot is the loudest sound in the room, and it echoes in her ears for the moments afterward.

For some reason a small part of her had expected him not to die. That there was something behind that mania, that the Joker just couldn’t be killed. But as his blood oozes out onto the floor she feels a hollow emptiness begin to take her over. 

“I did it baby. I avenged you.” Harley’s voice is soft and there is something that Jason doesn’t like about the tone. She’s not facing him so as he drops down he knows she doesn’t realize he’s in the room. He realizes what she means to do as he sees her hand shake, still on the gun and the slow progression as it raises. “I’ll be with you soon.” She whispered as she raised the gun to her temple, finger tight on the trigger. But before she can pull it it’s knocked out of her hand, the fired bullet going into the wall. 

“Harley no!” His voice is tight and he has to pull both of her arms behind her back and hold them there. He leaned over her ear to speak lowly. “Harleen you did it, you beat him, but don’t do this.”

“I can’t live without him Jason…I can’t.”

“Yes you can, it’s going to be alright.” Jason whispered gently in her ear, his free hand ran through her blonde hair listening to the whimper she released. 

“I can’t be alone Jason…I can’t…” She cried softly and he couldn’t stand to see her so defeated. 

“You won’t be.” He assured her, releasing her arms and turning her towards him. “You’ll stay with me, I’m here to look after you remember. And we’ll get you through this.” He was surprised when she buried her head in his chest and began crying in earnest. “Shh…I’ve got you Harleen, I’m not going anywhere.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I was discussing this with one of my tumblr friends blackwingsbluedings and felt that I should share this here too. Please read, review, and kudos.


End file.
